Blaze leaves family of four homeless

Tuesday

Nov 27, 2007 at 12:01 AMNov 27, 2007 at 6:46 AM

The fast-spreading fire ravaged a home in Hopewell Tuesday morning. WITH VIDEO.

Jessica Pierce

The sight made Doreen Merkley drop to her knees.

She had left her job at the Palmyra Post Office after getting a frantic call telling her to go home. She could see the thick clouds of black smoke filling the sky from a mile away, and when she pulled onto her road, firetruck after firetruck.

Flames rose several feet into the air through the roof, from the windows, and the front door of Merkley’s home at 4056 Route 488 Tuesday morning. At times, it was hard to see any part of the single-story white home because of the flames and smoke.

Sobbing, Merkley clutched a few of her family members, already gathered in the next-door neighbor’s front yard. A volunteer with an ambulance crew draped blankets over her shoulders.

The house and all of its contents — including a pet cat, hamsters and fish — were gone.

“My daughters are going to be devastated about that,” she said, wiping away tears.
Merkley then thought of another loss: the Christmas presents she and her long-time boyfriend, Jay McDonald, had just bought for their daughters, Emily, almost 2, and Shania, 8. The family wasn’t going to have a big Christmas this year because they didn’t have the financial means, but it was going to be special nonetheless.
The real blessing this year will be having each other.

“You can replace a house — you can’t replace somebody you lose,” said family friend Amy Goodemote, who was at the scene.

Merkley said she couldn’t imagine what caused the fire. The only thing she had left running when she left the house after 7 a.m. for the Post Office was the washing machine.

Jeff Harloff, director of the Ontario County Emergency Management Office, said at the scene Tuesday morning that it was too early to determine the cause. The investigation is being handled by his office and by the Hopewell Fire Department.

A passing driver saw smoke coming from the house and called 911 at 8:18 a.m. Two other passersby reported the fire in the two minutes that followed.

Merkley and McDonald had both left the home for work. Their daughter Shania was at school and their toddler was at a day-care center. The family’s two pet dogs were in the backyard and were saved by a neighbor.

The first firefighters at the scene found the house engulfed in flames. While they battled the blaze, part of the roof collapsed. Strong winds shifted the heavy smoke and fed the flames.

Getting water to the home was a challenge because the nearest hydrant was more than a quarter-mile away, Harloff explained. Firefighters ran hoses to that hydrant and hauled water to the scene and fill what are called “portable ponds.”

The American Red Cross was at the scene, offering assistance to Merkley and McDonald. The organization is putting them up in a hotel for a few nights and gave them vouchers to buy a few necessities like food and clothing.

Jessica Pierce can be reached at (585) 394-0770, Ext. 250, or at jpierce@mpnewspapers.com.

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